Albanian PM’s brother arrested after soccer match abandoned

BELGRADE: Olsi Rama, brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, was arrested on suspicion of organising the incident that provoked the abandonment of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania on Tuesday, according to Serbian State Television (RTS).

His arrest comes just over a week before the official visit of his brother to Serbia, the first such visit in 68 years.

According to RTS, who cited the Serbian Interior Ministry, Olsi Rama was directing the drone that landed on the pitch taped in a a flag displaying the colours of ‘Greater Albania’ from the official executive box at the stadium, from which ordinary Albanian supporters had been barred by the Serbian Federation on Sunday.

The drone and the flag prompted havoc among both the Serbian players and some of the 20,000 spectators, with fans hurling smoke bombs and trying to attack the Albanian players on the pitch just four minutes from the half-time whistle- AFP